Lal bhaji Curry (Tambadi, Amaranth Leaves)

Red leaf vegetable has so many names, I grew up saying lal maath and tambdi bhaji meaning red leaf vegetable. It's also called as amaranth leaves. It's very very nutritious and tasty, it goes very well with chapatis and phulkas. When it came to leafy vegetables I have liked 2 of them the most, fenugreek leaves and red leaves vegetables. Even today they stand out. I feel blessed that I can find these leaves in the stores out here in the USA. You can find it in Trader Joe's by the name red spinach. Gives me a soul satisfying feeling when I have either of it on my plate. Am glad my whole family enjoys it too...

Let's take a look at the recipe:

                                                                                      Lal Bhaji
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Red leaves bunch cleaned and chopped (around 3 cups pressed) 
• 1 medium size onion 
• 3-4 tbsp oil 
• 4-5 garlic cloves whole crushed slightly 
• 10 curry leaves 
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 
• 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai) 
• 4-5 dry red chillies 
• 1/2 tsp urad dal 
• 1/2 tsp channa dal 
• 1/2 cup toor dal 
• salt as per taste 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp chilli pwd 
• pinch asafoetida (hing)

Preparation:

• Pressure cook toor dal for 2 whistles and keep aside. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera seeds once it splutters add urad dal, chana dal, dried red chillies and saute quickly till dals turn light brown. 
• Now add chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium flame till translucent. 
• Add garlic, stir well and mix everything together, now add chopped amaranth leaves, salt, turmeric, chilli pwd, hing and cook till partly done. 
• Add cooked toor dal and bring it to a boil. 
• Serve hot with rice or rotis, cucumber raita.

njoY!! happY cooking!!

-recipe was shared by a good friend Uma Prem Kumar a fellow foodie :)-

Health Benefits: 
Red leaves is one of the leafy vegetables consumed widely around the world. Its nutritional benefit list is so long that you will need fingers and toes to count :) Few of the key benefits includes- it prevents electrolyte imbalance, makes a great gluten free diet, stops hair loss and greying, improves eyesight, aids in weight management, very good for anemic patients. Packed with antioxidants, protein, vitamins, calcium, carbohydrates, iron and minerals, this vegetable is too good to ignore.